Meet the candidates: Bald Head Island Village Council

Renee Spencer, Wilmington StarNews
·5 min read

It's a three-way race for two seats in Bald Head Island.

The terms for both Gerald "Jerry" Maggio and Virginia "Ginnie" White expire in November, and both Maggio and White are seeking re-election. Challenger Scott Thomas rounds out the candidates vying for the open seats.

Voters in Brunswick County have three options to cast their ballots this year. Residents may vote absentee-by-mail with ballots postmarked by Nov. 7, or during one-stop early voting beginning Thursday, Oct. 19 and ending Saturday, Nov. 4, or in-person on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Candidate responses have been edited for style, grammar and length.

Jerry Maggio

Gerald Maggio
Gerald Maggio

  • Age: 66

  • Occupation: Retired financial officer

  • Family: Spouse, four children, two grandchildren

  • Education: MBA in Finance at Syracuse University; BS in Accounting at State University of New York Albany

  • Political affiliation: Undeclared

Scott Thomas

Scott Thomas
Scott Thomas

  • Age: 50

  • Occupation: Vice President, Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation

  • Family: Beth (Wife), Caroline (Daughter), Bizzy (Daughter), Sarah (Daughter) and Robert (Son)

  • Education: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (Psychology), University of Tennessee (MBA), University of Tennessee College of Law (JD), Dartmouth Tuck School of Business (Executive)

  • Political affiliation: NA

Virginia "Ginnie" White

Virginia "Ginnie" White
Virginia "Ginnie" White

  • Age: 70

  • Occupation: Retired (attorney)

  • Family: Robert (husband), five children, nine grandchildren

  • Education: Seton Hall University School of Law - J.D., 1982; Rutgers University - B.A. English, 1974; Duke University (1971-1972)

  • Political affiliation: non-partisan

What capital improvement and infrastructure projects should be prioritized?

Maggio: Water quality to continue meeting current EPA standards and start infrastructure improvements preparing for new EPA standards expected in early 2024. Wastewater expansion project, which the state requires the planning phase to begin when a municipality reached 80% capacity, and construction at 90% capacity. Beach sand replacement program protecting our shores.

Thomas: Investments must be made to preserve BHI’s well-earned reputation as an ideal place to live and work in harmony with nature. Most urgently, the sewage and water treatment facilities on BHI will need to be both expanded and upgraded to ensure continued access to clean, safe drinking water for all residents and island guests. Additionally, projects and funding for road paving, reinvigorating our parks, beach access improvements, adequate public parking, and storm water management should be prioritized.

White: Safe drinking water, and when necessary, wastewater treatment plant expansion and upgrades, are priority concerns. Our support of the Public Safety Department’s needs must remain vigilant. Beach renourishment is and will remain important to the entire island.  Road maintenance and safety also are ongoing. Storm/disaster preparedness and communications are essential. Continuing to inspect, test, evaluate and repair the stormwater drainage pumps, lagoons and outfalls is necessary to assure access to homes and businesses following a major storm event. Ongoing residential and commercial growth present numerous infrastructure challenges which require constant attention. Regular dredging of certain channels is required.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Bald Head Island today?

Maggio: The current ferry system is probably the worst it has ever been and is extremely disruptive to all riders. The Village has successfully asked the North Carolina Utility Commission (NCUC) to declare the system a utility. The NCUC implemented standards for the potential buyer, including freezing parking and barge rates for six years; allowing no change to ferry prices for one year; targeting a 90% on-time departure service level; requiring a ten-year capital improvement plan and bi-annual meetings; requiring transactions or leases affecting parking and barge be approved by the NCUC and any successors bound by the conditions.

Thomas: The biggest challenges facing BHI are related to financial management. More than $2,000,000, to date, has been spent on attorneys, consultants and bondsmen for the ongoing, protracted litigation and appeals over ownership of the ferry and transportation systems. This has resulted in unsustainable tax increases for property owners (21% this year), a vastly depleted General Fund, and a lack of attention and resources for other critical island priorities. The residents of BHI deserve a common-sense financial plan that provides adequate funding for the maintenance and necessary expansion of island infrastructure and, at the same time, eliminates excessive and wasteful spending.

White: Balancing the island’s residential and commercial development and growth while protecting its natural beauty, low density, and peaceful atmosphere is among the greatest challenges to be met. The Council formed the Commercial Area Planning Task Force, which is working on establishing design guidelines for future commercial development. The ferry, tram, parking and barge operations need to remain a consolidated transportation system, which is safe, reliable, and reasonably priced. Having successfully obtained this regulation by the NC Utilities Commission, the village must stay the course and oppose the appeals and challenges that are pending.

How will you work to solve these challenges?

Maggio: Plans for all these issues are already in place, reviewed with the island, and being implemented at the appropriate time. Examples are regulating the total ferry system, planning the 2025 beach sand replacement program, and being on or ahead of schedule for all infrastructure requirements.

Thomas: I want to restore some faith and confidence in our local government by helping to provide opportunities for island residents to have more input into the responsible governance of our community assets. I will represent all island residents by providing a fresh voice and a new perspective focused on creating amicable resolution to challenges faced by our community. Adhering to my core principles of financial discipline, managing risk, accountability for results, transparency, and ethical behavior, I will deliver a workable, common-sense plan to reverse the current trajectory and put BHI back on-track towards a community-minded and stable financial future.

White: The Council and Village staff work together to identify the most efficient and cost-effective solutions to various infrastructure demands. Additionally, we collaborate with our attorneys and lobbying consultants to obtain federal and state grants and reimbursements to offset island expenses as much as possible. Moreover, the Council looked at the various requests for capital outlays and deferred those not immediately needed. I do not want to increase property taxes but will vote to do so when necessary to provide the infrastructure and services that owners and businesses have come to expect.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Candidates for Bald Head Island Village Council election 2023